Antigua/St. Thomas

The sun was shining on beautiful Antigua (pronounced Antiga) and its 300 and some beaches, but we had to hit the shopping area first. Unfortunately the shopping area had none of the quaintness and charm of Old Quebec City and the taxi fare to a beach started at around $12 per person so we opted to catch the sun on the ship.






The view coming into St. Thomas is welcoming...to all three cruise ships in port and to the private “duck” planes flying in for “business.” Brayden would love to watch this plane land on the water!

Booze is cheap on St. Thomas so we prepared for the future. We’ve been to St. Thomas a couple of times so again we chose to darken our tans shiptop with the beautiful blue waters down below.

St. Lucia/Barbados

Our second port was St. Lucia and we decided to just
take a short walk around the shopping area and spend the day on board just lazing around a “not so busy pool” and watching a movie on the big outdoor screen.














Today we visited Barbados and took a taxi van ride around the island. Again our driver/tour guide was excellent and filled us in on information about the city, towns, and countryside.

 We passed some monkeys looking for some handouts of banana
 

and spent some time in the beautiful blue water on the white sand beach.

Caribbean Cruise--December

 How  does one spend a couple of weeks in December to avoid the traffic, malls, and stress of Christmas?

A wonderful 10 day cruise to the southern Caribbean on the 3000 passenger cruiseship Emerald Princess.

We left Ft. Lauderdale and spent the first two days at sea--just a little windy, slightly wavy, a little overcast and sometimes rainy. But we found plenty to keep us busy and we did spend some of our time outside.

Our first port was the beautiful island of St. Kitts. We took a tour around the island and learned much about its history,  culture, and geography.

Here the Atlantic Ocean is on the left and the Caribbean Sea is on the right.

Snow comes to Florida!!

Welcome to winter--in Florida! The snow is falling, the palms are green, and the temp is about 78 degrees. It can't get better than that!!

 ...And this is how they do it--truck in a load of block ice, block off a 10 x 40 feet section of the street, then crush and blow the "snow" to about a foot deep. Invite all the kids from Miami to come and play.

Brayden had collected the parts to make a snowman, so when their 10 minute time in the snow came, they made a snowman!!

Happy Holidays to Everyone!!

The end of November

 Saturdays are a "let's get together with Caryn and the boys" day. Jason has to work so we borrow his family.

 This Saturday we took the boys to the Fruit and Spice Park, a little agricultural park that grows and exhibits trees from around the world and then lets us taste the unique fruits.

 Rylan would prefer to play with the "choo choos" at Grampa's house. I love to hear him say "Gordon, Percy, Thom, and Hat" as he points to the characters in the books. Of course "crash!" is a favorite while playing trains.









Brayden loves to help Grampa with the cooking. Saturday's menu was breaded yellow-tail snapper and Brayden dredged every piece perfectly. Of course he did tell Grampa that he should have one of those tools that squeezes the lemons and turns them inside out! Where did he learn that?!

 Caryn stopped and picked up cafe con leche and Cuban sandwiches for lunch. The coffee was very good and the sandwiches were good, but not as good as the ones we made with Gilles and Francine almost a year ago.

Then she asked what that funny thing was I keep by the kitchen sink. I explained that it was a handmade dish washer--a gift from Francine and widely used by the Quebequois.

A good day to think about you, Francine and Gilles--we miss you!

November 30 is Macy's third birthday! We celebrated when we were in Minnesota a couple of weeks ago and had a great little party!

It's amazing to think she is three already, and what a little charmer she is! We love you, Macy. Many more happy, happy birthdays!!!

Back in Florida

 We are back in sunny, warm Florida--just in time, we heard there was snow and cold, cold weather in Minnesota after we left!!

Brayden wanted to make cookies, so we opted for some chocolate no bake cookies. Rylan thought they were just wonderful!!

We spent Thanksgiving at Caryn and Jason's with the boys and Jason's brother, Morgan, and girlfriend, Margie, and twin sister, Janine. The food was wonderful and the company was great. We have a lot to be thankful for!

Deer (Dear) Hunting in Minnesota

We're back in Minnesota for Deer Season and we always celebrate the three November 6th birthdays. Carol, Mitch and Mark make a wish and with little Max's help blow out the candles.

Addy all dressed and ready to go outside (love that hair)!

Macy invented a new game--Let's Play Santa! The kids go to bed and Santa comes and delivers presents. Great game--when I got to be the kid it meant a quiet rest for 10 minutes while the kids colored pictures to be my presents--the only quiet time in two weeks!!








The "hunt" was successful!! That means venison sausage is back on the menu!!